Fire destroys 2 houses at Rose Hall; 7 homeless

Seven persons are now homeless after a fire of unknown origin flattened two houses at Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on Sunday.

Among the victims are a pastor, who was delivering a sermon to the congregation at the timeof the incident, and a US citizen.

The fire at Fourth Street, Reef, Rose Hall Town started at the pastor’s home, Divisional Fire Officer Clive McDonald confirmed.

At the time no one was at home.

Pastor Jerry Alexander, of Fyrish Family of God Church who lived there with his wife, daughter and granddaughter, said he was at church when he got the message of his home on fire.

The 68-year-old said that when he arrived at the scene, his house and the neighbour’s were both engulfed, and firefighters were battling the blaze at his Lot 294 residence.

He said he lost everything and gave an estimate of $20 million in loses.

“So far we are just trusting God because we serving a mighty God; a God who hears and answers prayers; a God who supplies our need… So, we trusting in him,” he said.

He and his wife have occupied the house for more than forty years.

“It’s hard, devastating. But God will come through for us. Its better you lose material things than life…We thanking him for life,” he said.

The flames spread to the neighbour’s house, which is owned by an overseas-based Guyanese Joseph Woodee, 72.

At the time he was watching television, shortly before midday, when he detected the smell of smoke and heard neighbours sounding a fire alert.

Despite his arthritis, he made it out of the house and to the stairs before being assisted by the downstairs’ tenant.

That tenant, Astaf Yeosuff, a security guard who lived on the lower flat with his wife, said he was asleep when he started to smell smoke, and when he looked outside he saw the neighbour’s house on fire.

Before he could get things together he went to his landlord who was on the stairs, struggling to get downstairs.

Yeosuff said he assisted Woodee to safety but by the time he was finished, the fire had spread to his home and he too could not save anything.